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Castle goes back on the rails
Page 18
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After abandoning rail freight 14 years ago, Castle Cement is moving
to an intermodal freight terminal. Guy Sheppard reports.
CASTLE CEMENT has become the first major customer at the Mossend Railhead in Glasgow since Dm was spent on expanding the site two years ago.
The company expects to save around 25 truck movements a day by moving to the intermodal freight terminal.
Andrew Bridge, Castle's general manager for distribution, says up to three 1,000-tonne trainloads a week will be sent to the railhead from its Lancashire factory "This is in effect a replacement for our Coatbridge site, which we have sold," Bridge reports. "We decided we wanted a site with rail capabilities. In 18 months to two years we want to convert the core road movements over to rail.
The switch from road will cost around £2m, with the loss of 12 driving jobs. Negotiations over redundancies have already started with the Transport & General Workers Union. Castle ceased using rail in 1992 because prices had become uneconomic, but the company believes they are viable again.
Peter Stirling,managingdirector of the Mossend terminal, admits that the 80-acre intermodal depot has proved "a big hole to fill-since it was re-launched.
"One encouraging thing is that Castle Cement has decided to place their depot in our site,he adds. "Big tonnages are always more cost-effective by rail.